Adjustable guide bracket



March 24, 1953 s. M. KAss 2,632,181

ADJUSTABLE GUIDE BRACKET I Filed March 1, 1948 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 March 24,1953 s. M. KAss 2,632,181

ADJUSTABLE GUIDE BRACKET Filed March 1, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 PatentedMar. 24, 1953 U N I T .iig.

T55 ATE OFFICE 1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to adjustable brackets for guiding ball suspensionrods in flush tanks of toilets.

The main purpose of my invention is to construct a bracket which can beeasily applied to an overflow pipe in a flush tank, the bracket havingan extension with a series of apertures for receiving the ballsuspension rod Which carries a ball and cooperates with the dischargevalve in the flush tank.

A further purpose is to provide a bracket which is attached to anoverflow pipe in a flush tank with spring tension holding means on thebracket to securely hold the bracket to the overflow pipe.

A further purpose is to construct a rod guide out of pressed metal.

A further purpose is to fasten a tension spring to two ends of anadjustable guiding bracket about an outlet pipe.

A further purpose is to form an adjustable clamping bracket out of flatmetal and, by stepby-step formation of the flat material, construct abracket which is secured to an overflow pipe by prongs which areresiliently pressed against a supporting pipe.

Further purposes will appear in the specification and in the claim.

Describing in illustration but not in limitation and referring to thedrawings:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating an overflow pipeof a flush tank with a valve fitting in the overflow pipe base and myimproved adjustable bracket in place upon the overflow pipe, supportinga suspension rod with a ball at its end and adapted to close the valveopening.

Figure 2 is an elevation partly in section of my improved adjustablebracket set in place upon an overflow pipe.

Figure 3 is a top plan View of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective View similar to a portion ofFigure 1 but illustrating a modified tension means.

Figure 5 is a side elevation, partly in section, similar to Figure 2,but illustrating a modification and with the overflow pipe shown indotanddash lines.

Figure 6 is a top plan view of Figure 5 but with the overflow pipe infull lines.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the bracket shown in Figures 5 and 6.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary side elevation similar to Figures 2 and 5 butillustrating a further modification.

Figure 9 is a top plan view of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a perspective View of the bracket shown in Figures 8 and 9but in the process of assemblage.

Many attempts have been made to supply a bracket for supporting ballsuspension rods from an overflow pipe in a flush tank of a toilet.Because of the many forms of construction of flush tank fittings thedistance between the discharge valve opening and the overflow pipe isconsiderably different one from the other in all of the various types oftanks upon the market.

Of course, it is necessary to have a guiding means for the ballsuspension rod and this guiding means must be centrally located withrespect to the discharge valve opening. Because of the difierence indistances between the overflow pipe and the discharge valve opening itis usually necessary to supply separate brackets having their rodreceiving openings located difierent distances from the overflow pipe.

Many attempts have been made to supply guiding brackets which will takecare of the existing conditions but to my knowledge there have been nosuccessful brackets for this purpose.

It is necessary to have a bracket which can be quickly and easily placedabout an overflow pipe some distance above the discharge valve openingand securely held in place about the overflow pipe.

In my invention I have developed a bracket which is made of springmaterial which can be put in place about an overflow pipe by pressingoutwardly extended arms of spring material and in holding the bracket bythe extended arms against the overflow pipe by the resilience of thearms themselves or by added tension spring means.

By using my improved bracket the user can insert the ball suspension rodin any one of a number of openings for guiding purposes. This isrequired when the distance between the center of the discharge valve andthe center of the over-- flow pipe is not the same in different flushtanks.

In carrying out my invention 1 have preferred to illustrate my bracket!5 as being made of pressed metal. It comprises a body It having alateral extension ll which is formed of walls 38 and [9 which provide anopening 20.

The forward end of the body It is split at 2! with resilient engagingportions 22 and 23 circumferentially formed at 25 to engage the overflowpipe 25 within the tank.

The forward ends 28 and 21 are flared outwardly at 28 and 29 in orderthat the bracket, when it is being put in place about the overflow pipe,will provide a mouth for guiding the flared 3 portions 28 and 29 whenthe arms 22 and 23 are expanded as the bracket is placed about the pipe.

After the arms 22 and 23 have been spread open by placement upon thepipe the arms will spring back to form a contact conforming to the pipecurvature and the resiliency of the metal of the arms will hold thebracket firmly in position upon the overflow pipe. In some instances Ifind it desirable in addition to the natural spring tendency of the arms22 and 23, to employ a tension spring 30 to pull the arms closertogether and the spring 30 will have the inner sides of the adjacentturns 30 of the coil of the spring to engage the contour of the pipe.This is clearly shown in Figure 3.

At the ends of the flared ends 28 and 29 I bend the metal transverselyat 3| and 32 to provide finger grips which will aid the user in applyingor detaching the bracket from the pipe. The forward end or stem 11 ofthe bracket carries a series of apertures 33 in the top wall It; and 34in the bottom wall 19. These apertures 33 and 34 are in line with oneanother in order that the ball suspension rod 35 may be properly guidedas the rod is moved up and down when the ball 36 is moved out of andinto the valve seat 3! upon the connecting base 38 which supports thevalve seat 3? and the overflow pipe 25.

In Figure 4 I have illustrated a modified form of tension means in whichemploy an elastic band 46 which is placed about the ends 25' and 29' toengage in recesses 4| and 42 formed in the arms 22 and 23. In allrespects the bracket is the same as the brackets shown in Figures 1, 2,and 3. However, the recesses 4| and 42 would not be used in Figure 2 asthe additional tension was applied by the use of the coil spring 30.

In the forms of Figures 5, 6 and 's' I have shown a modified bracket l.The forward end of the bracket is channeled at 43 providing a verticalwall 44 and laterally extending flanges 45 and 46. The flanges 45 and 46have a series of apertures 33 and 34' and the apertures 33 and 34' aredirectly in line with one another in order that the suspension rod 35may be inserted through these openings as in the illustration of Figure1.

The forward end of the bracket [5' is extended at 41 and has its centerportion cut to form a tab 48. The tab 48 and the extension 4'! arearcuately curved to engage about the overflow pipe 25. The rearwardportion of the extended end 4'! is apertured at 49 and the rearward endof the cut-out tab 48 is laterally bent to form a reduced end 50apertured at 5|. These apertures are used in the event that the userwould decide to apply more tension on the pipe engaging ends of thebracket when the bracket is put in place about the overflow pipe.

In all other respects the bracket is the same as the bracket previouslydescribed excepting that it shows another way of conveniently shaping adesirable guiding bracket.

In Figures 8, 9 and I show still another form of bracket assemblage. Thebracket, when put to place on the overflow pipe is placed about the pipein the same manner as the bracket of Figures l, 2, 3 and 4.

In Figures 8, 9 and 10 the forward or rod guiding end of the bracket ispressed and shaped from a strip of flat material. It is provided withprojections 52, 53 and 54 at the top end, 52' 53' and 54' at the bottom,projecting from a strip 55 at one end of the bracket.

The opposite end of the strip is bent to form a rod guiding portion 56and additional partial rod I ing arm.

4 guiding portions 51 and 58 located in another end portion 59 of thestrip material.

The strip portion 55 and the strip portion 59 are bent together intoclose contact with one another after which the projections 52, 53 and 54from the strip portion 55 are bent directly to engage about the otherstrip portion 59. The projections 52, 53 and 54 are bent upwardly aboutthe strip 59 to securely hold the strip portions 55 and 59 together.

Between the projections 52 and 53 and between 53 and 54 and between theprojections 52' and 53 and between 53 and 54 and in the center of thestrip portion 55 I provide partially curved portions 60 and 6| whichcooperate and match with the partial openings 5'! and 58 in theadjoining strip portion 59 to form apertures 62, 63 and 64 to receivethe ball suspension rod 35 when in proper position.

The opposite end of the bracket portions 55 and 59 are arcuately curvedat 24 to surround and engage the overflow pipe.

In all other respects the bracket and the bracket spring tension meansare the same as in the 0 previously mentioned figures.

It will be understood that in all of the forms presented herewith theuse of the tension spring is optional with the user.

In operation the bracket is applied to the overflow pipe by firstspreading the arms open and then, due to the resiliency of the pipesurrounding arms, allowing the arms to engage the overflow pipe andinserting the ball rod suspension through the desired set of aperturesin the guid- Whether the set of apertures used would be close to theoverflow pipe or a greater distance from the overflow pipe would dependon the distance of the valve from the overflow pipe, it will be evidentthat other forms of fastening of the bracket of my invention may appearto others skilled in the art. However, I believe I am the first toprovide an adjustable guide of this character which can be applied to anoverflow pipe without fastening the bracket to the pipe by the use ofscrews or bolts or other more permanent fastening.

In view of my invention and disclosure, variations modifications to meetindividual whim or particular will doubtless become evident to other:skilled. in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of myinvention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, claimall such insofar as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope ofmy claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

In a flush tank guide, a unitary sheet metal member comprising a channelmember, the bottom being arranged when assembled in a flush tank, tooccupy a vertical plane, the opposed parallel horizontally disposed sideflanges having a plurality of pairs of vertically aligned openings forguiding the stem of a flush valve, and having resilient forkedsupporting jaws secured at the base to the channel member, oppositelycurved for gripping engagement with an overflow pipe in. assembledrelation, one of the jaws having two branches and an intermediate cutoutportion from which the other jaw has been formed, and provided withopenings at the opposite ends for engagement by the ends of a coilspring, in combination with the coil tension spring extending across theouter ends of the aws engaged in the openings and urging the 5 outerends of the jaws together into engagement with the overflow pipe, thespring extending far enough toward the center of the space between theforked jaws to permit one side of the spring coils to engage and gripthe side of the overflow 5 Pipe.

SAMUEL M. KASS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 10 fileof this patent:

Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Hawks Nov. 26, 1912 Kull Aug.25, 1914 Keenan July 10, 1917 Ferency Dec. 25, 1923 Sundell July 28,1931 Platt Feb. 19, 1935 Marten June 2 1, 1938 Myers et a1. Nov. 19,1940 Reiwald Aug. 5, 1947

